Louis Gaz

Louis Gaz was the son of Italian immigrants, his father was a coal miner, one of 5 boys, from Lafayette, CO. He died at 90 after living a full life.

Louis graduated from the Colorado School of Mines with degrees in Geological and Civil Engineering in 1954.

Louis married Shirley Deborski June 26, 1954, the daughter of a coal miner, one of 5 children from Louisville. They had 3 children Richard, Roxanne, and Randall. When Shirley died in 2019, they would have been married 65 years.

Hired by Philip Anschutz out of college, he became the regional Geologist and Engineer in charge of mineral acquisitions and production in the Western United States. Louis then incorporated Nuclear Logging Inc. with his Partner Walt Vernor in the early 1960’s. A company that specialized in electric logging and exploration for uranium, coal, and geological information.

Louis was the Weld deputy assessor for coal for Weld County tax purposes during 1960-70.

Louis was an engineer at many coal mines including the last three in the area. The Lincoln, the Imperial, and the Eagle. The Lincoln Mine in Weld County became one of the state’s largest coal producers, under the direction of superintendent Andy Deborski and Engineer Louis Gaz. Louis complied information to complete the sale from the Clayton Company to Coors Minerals in 1975. Louis was later retained to close mines in the Boulder/Weld County area. The last mine was the Eagle, the tipple still sits on road 8 and I-25, the road by Erie high school. Louis and Dennis James, his good friend closed the mine in 1974.

Louis was the City Engineer and Consultant for the major expansion of the water, sewer and drainage systems beginning in the early 1960’s for the City of Lafayette. The projects included the expansion of The Waneka Lake and Electric Power Plant, The Marshall water treatment, the Sterns Rogers 4-million-gallon Storage tank, and the underground storm drainage system. The first in Lafayette.

During this time, he also updated and compiled new modern subdivisions, zoning maps and ordinances of Lafayette, and replated the Lafayette Cemetery. Louis was also a representative involved with the rewriting of the new zoning, open space regulations for Boulder County.

Louis’s first company, All Caisson Drilling Company employed many young men and women in their first job in Lafayette. Later to expand to one of the Largest Drilling companies in Colorado. Laying Caissons for parts of the Civic Center in Denver, Fairview High School and Aims Community College in Fort Lupton to name a few.

He built homes for hundreds of people in Lafayette, townhomes, and apartments for those who couldn’t afford homes. He built the first PUD development in Lafayette approved by FHA. He was the first builder in Lafayette and given credit for the growth of Lafayette from 2,500 to 25,000 people between 1965 and 1985.

In 1980 Louis and Shirley built a 75-unit storage facility and they successfully ran Lafayette Self Storage until 2014.

In 1980 Louis served as president and director of the Good Day Child Center in Lafayette for 3 years which employed 10-15 teachers and aids and accommodated 125 students per day.

Louis was involved with the design and building committee for the new Immaculate Conception Church in Lafayette, dedicated in March of 2008.

Louis was Director and Officer of Front Range Capital Corp and approved by the Federal Reserve to open Bank VII with 6 other investors in 1986. The bank was later sold to Lafayette State Bank.

Between 1983-1987 Louis worked for Chesley and Dunn Inc. and R B Marich Inc as a Registered Securities Account Executive.

From 1989-1993 Louis worked as an Engineer and Inspector on the underground tunnels at DIA, built the foundation for the Control Tower and the central core for the 4 story central coves for concourse A, B and C.

From 1993-1998 Louis became the Civil Engineer and Inspector for the major construction of the main sewer interception for disposal plant southerly on 4th and Sable to Bromley Lane in Brighton.

The fisherman, the boat driver, the mushroom hunter, dog lover, the eternal geologist.

Hard work is who we are, and what makes up your core. Learning no matter what you are learning is always important. Give more than 100 percent to everything you do. And finally, doing something for someone else and for the good of the community is the most important thing. Louis spent his whole life living with these traits and his was a life worth living and celebrating.